Current or tide motor



G. P. A. WEISENBORN.

CURRENT 0R TIDE MOTOR.

APPLICATION man MAY4.1920.

Patented Nov. 8, 1921.

3 SHEES-SHEET l.

alfanum) G. P. A. WEISENBORN.

CURRENT 0R TIDE MOTOR. APPLICATION FILED MAY4,1920.

1,896,609, Patented Nov. 8, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

31a/vanto@ G. P. A. WEISENBURN.

CURRENT 0R no; moon. APPLICATION FILED MAY 4, 1920.

Patented Nov. 8, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

(i Nonnen;

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE P. A. WEISENBORN, OF SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO SAID GEORGE l?. A. VTISISENBORN, TRUSTEE IN TRUST OF THE UNITED MANUFACTURING AND POWER COMPANY, OF SEATTLE, WASH- INGTON.

CURRENT OR TIDE MOTOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 8, 1921.

Application led May 4, 1920. Serial No. 378,756.

To all whom. t may concern Be it known that I, GEORGE P. A. WEISEN- noiiN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Salt Lake City, in the county of Salt Lake and State of Utah, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Current or Time Motors, of which the following is a specification.

This invention. relates to improvement-s in current, wave or tide motors, and has for one of its objects to improve the construction and inciease the efliciency of apparatus of this character.

Another object of this invention is to produce an apparat-us of this character which will be automatically adapted to a current running in either direction, thus adapting the apparatus to the iiow of current which is periodically changed in direction, for instance in the case of tides fiowing through contracted channels or passages, or through fissures in rocks and the like.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction as hereinafter shown and described and then specifically pointed out in the claims, and in the drawings illus trative of the preferred embodiment of the invention.

Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of the improved apparatus.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of thev reversing mechanism.

Fig. 4 is a transverse section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 1 looking toward the right.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail of the connection between the self reversing propeller blade devices and the shaft.

Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of the lower portion of one of wing carrying sleeves of t-he reversible propellers.

The improved apparatus comprises a submersible lbody or barge having a longitudinal passage-way or conduit therethrough for free flow of the power transmitting current, a shaft mounted for rotation within the conduit, coacting propeller elements attached to the -shaft and each including a plurality of blades held obliquely to the longitudinal axis of the shaft by the action of the current when moving in one direction, and reversed in position and rotating the shaft in the same direction, when the current fiows in the opposite direction.

The direction of motion of the shaft is with the shaft, if required, and preferably mounted upon the barge.

rI'he barge may be constructed of any inaterial .or of any size, depending upon the .conditions at the place where the apparatus is to be installed, and it is not desired to limit the invention in any manner in this respect. For the purpose of illustration a barge constructed of wood is shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 4.

The barge consists generally of outer side walls 10, outer bottom wall 11, inner side walls 12, inner bottom walls 13, and inclosing endwalls 111 and 15. rThe end wails 14 and 15 are preferably arranged obliquelv to the longitudinal axis of the barge, or coiiverging inwardly from all sides, whereby an opening or passage is produced therethrough with funnel shaped ends, whereby the flow of the water is accelera-ted. By this means a U-shaped structure is produced having hollow sides and bottom, and with a free longitudinally directed passage for the free flow of the current.

Tater is designed to be pumped into the hollow walls of the barge to enable it to be sunk to any required depth in deep water or to rest upon the bottom in shallow water. The barge is provided with a supporting deck 16 extending over the intermediate paw sage, as shown.

he barge is to be anchored in any manner, depending on the size of the stream or other locality where the device is employed, and to facilitate the handling of the barge in rapidly flowing streams, Winches, indicated at 17, for winding the anchor and holding cables, are mounted on the deck 16.

Supported at intervals by the end Walls 14-15 and the inner side walls 12, are strut devices 18 Ahaving bearings 19 to support a longitudinally extending shaft 20. For the purpose of this description, the shaft 20 is referred to as the lower or main drive shaft, and the shaft of the combined reversing and transmitting mechanism as the upper shaft.

Mounted upon the lower shaft at its ends, and at intermediate points, are propeller devices, and as these devices are alike except that the intermediate propellers are smaller than the terminalpropellers, the description of one will suliice for all.

Each propeller device comprises a frame formed of a hub 2l, fast to the shaft 20, an annular rim 22 and a plurality of uniformly spaced rods or spokes 23 connected at the ends respectively in the hub and rim.

Any required number of the rods 23 may be employed, but generally 6 will be used, as shown, and the hub 21 formed with as many faces as there are rods, in the illustration 6, with one of the rods threaded or otherwise secured in each flat face.

Each rod is secured at its outer end to the rim 22 by a clamp nut 24.

Mounted for'rota-tion upon each rod 23 is an anti-friction sleeve 25, and rotative upon each sleeve 25 is a tubular bearing member 26, the latter provided with laterally extending blades or wings 27. The blades 27 are substantially V-shaped in outline and Y practically fill the space within the rims 22 when in one position, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4.

Extending fiom each flat face ofeach hub 22 are stop pins 28, and formed in the Vinner end of each tubular member 26 are segmental notches 29 into which the pins 28 constantly project. The pins and notches coact to limit the rotary movement of the tubular member'and are so arranged that when thenotches 29 engage the pins 28 at one end, the blades 27 will be inclined in one direction and when engaging the pins at the other ends of the notches, the blades will be inclined in the opposite direction.

In other words when the current flows.

in one direction through the barge, the blades will be automatically inclined in one direction and exert a rotative force in one direction upon the shaft 20, and then when the current flowsin the other direction, the blades will be reversed and rotate the shaft in the same direction. The terminal propeller devices are disposed relatively close shafts 30 in the same manner and for the same purpose as the blades 27.

Located upon the deck 16 are standards 3l supporting an upper shaft 32, and mounted upon the shaft 32, at spaced intervals, are chain wheels 33 and 34 over which endless chains V35-36 lead, and around chain wheels 37 and 38V on the lower or main drive shaft 20. l

Mounted loosely upon the upper shaft 32 are bevel gears 39-39, both engaging with a master bevel gear 40, on a counter shaft 41, suitably supported by standards 42-43 on the deck 16.

Mounted to rotate with. the upper shaft 32 'adj acent to the gear 39 is a ratchet wheel 44, and swinging upon the gear 39 is a stop pawl 45 engaging the ratchet 44. Moun'e'l to rotate with the upper shaft32 adjacent to the gear 39l is another ratchet 46 having its teeth reversely to the teeth of the ratchet 44, and swinging upon the gear 39 is a stop pawl 47 engaging the teeth of the ratchet 46.

By this arrangement it will be .obvious that when the lower shaft 20 is rotated by the force of the current flowing through the barge, the wheel 37 will cause the chain 35 to rotate the wheel 33 a-ndnpper shaft 32, and cause the ratchet 44 to pick up the gear 39 through .the pawl 45 and rotate the shaft 32, while at the same time .the wheel 38 in revolving will cause the chain 36 to rotate the wheel 34 in the'same direction, but this will produce no effect on the gear 39', as the reversepawl 47 will merely pass over the teeth of the ratchet 46which extend reversely .to the teeth of the ratchet 44. 1 j f Then when the current is reversed, or flows in the opposite direction through the ybarge the blades 27 and y30 will be automatically reversed and the rotation ofthe shaft 20 continued in the same direction, the chain 36 and its connections still running idle. Y

If however from any cause the blades 27 or 30 fail to reverse rby thechange of current, for instance if they stick from rust or are clogged from anyother cause, then the shaft 2O will be rotated in the opposite direction, and in that event, the chain 36 andits connections Would become active, and continue to rotate the upper shaft in the same direction. n

The second chain 36 and its connections become 'a safety appliance. Thus a simply constructed automatic reversing mechanism is produced to rotate the counter shaft 41 in the same direction, no matter in which direc tion the lower shaft 20 may be revolved.

Located at a suitable point on the deck 16 of the barge, is an electric generator, represented conventionally at 48, and including aV driven belt pulley 49 on its main shaft 50, and mounted on the counter shaft 41 is a relatively large belt pulley 51 connected to the pulley 49 by a belt 52.

By this means the power of the current is utilized to generate electric currents which may be conducted to suitable motors on the shore, in the usual manner.

rI'he motion of the counter shaft 41 is also utilized to operate one or more suitable reversible pumps, to supply the water receiving compartments of the barge, to sink the latter to the required depth, or to pump the water from the compartments when the barge is to be raised or floated. One of the pumps is represented conventionally at 53, and arranged to be driven by a belt 54 operating over a belt pulley 55 on the shaft 41 and a pulley 56 on the shaft of the pump.

The bottom 13 of the conduit through the barge, and the deck 16- are preferably provided with hatchways 57 provided with water tight closures or hatches 58, to render the water compartments accessible, if required for inspection or repairs.

The bottom of the barge is preferably rounded or boat shaped, as shown in Fig. 2, to render it easier to handle when being transported.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is disclosed in the drawings and set forth in the specifications, but it will be understood that any modifications Within the scope of the claims may be made in the construction without departing from the principle of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

I claim 1. In an apparatus of the class described abarge having a conduit therethrough open at the ends and with a continuous water tight chamber entirely surrounding the sides and upper and lower walls of the conduit, means for supplying water to the chambers and exhausting it therefrom, to control the draft of the barge, a shaft mounted for rotation through said conduit, propeller devices attached to said shaft and including reversible blades adapted to be disposed in operative position by the water flowing in either direction through the conduit.

2. In an apparatus of the class described, a submersible barge having a conduit therethrough, a shaft mounted for rotation in said conduit, propeller devices attached to said shaft and each including a hub, an annular rim connected to said hub by radiating rods, a sleeve rotative on each of said rods, a tubular member rotative on each sleeve, wings extending from each of said tubular members, and a stop device associated with each tubular member to limit its movement on the sleeve, whereby the flow of the water through the conduit will dispose the blades in operative position when flowing in either direction.

In testimony whereof, I aiix my signature hereto.

GEORGE P. A. WEISENBORN. 

